In contrast, the CC is "junk" compared to clan options with TCs.
3 tons and the only real advantage it gives a player not running a lurm boat is higher zoom levels. For 3 tons and limited slot placement, it simply isn't effective enough at anything.
CC should equal benefits for the entire team within range of it. Similar to ECM bubbles. It's supposed to be a command console, not a junky version of clan TC.
http://www.sarna.net...Command_Console
Obviously the whole "second cockpit" isn't being considered in this post, I don't feel it has a place in MWO currently (possibilities but based on current game state, PGI's history, etc. it's not something I'm discussing here in this post as it's far more complex and not relevant to my points on the CC here)
With that being said, the CC is all about having an actual "commander" on the field with you. The console takes 3 tons of the mech and should be a benefit to the player's entire team. It should be just what it states, a mobile command center. It should offer the benefits to all friendly mechs in range of its bubble.
It's not designed, nor was it ever intended to be, a component that enhanced the individual's combat effectiveness, but to be a commander's tool to improve his entire team's chances of being victorious. This is where things like role warfare truly come in. If you want a player to sacrifice 3 tons of ammo, weapons, armor, engine, or heat management, it should be worth that 3 tons. Giving the player the ability to offer a team wide assist is what a CC should do.
I would suggest it increasing lock times for all friendly mechs in the bubble
Increasing target information gathering
Increasing sensor range
Offer possibly a bonus to spread on missiles as well.
That paves the way to be able to add in future systems like C3 and C3 slave systems to help indirect fire and LoS mechanics. PGI went about a lot of this backwards and even completely off-track for what some of these systems were intended to be and how they actually function in game.
Indirect fire of LRMs was possible in Btech, but it was extremely difficult. You have some pretty steep to-hit modifiers in being able to make shots like that, but systems like CC and C3 and such eased those modifiers and gave them a purpose to being had.
They weren't "bonus" mechanics (well on the IS side anyhow, clan tech was OP, the creators admitted it was OP, it well known it was OP so please keep the "EMG he said clans were OP" rhetoric out of it
), they were mechanics designed to mitigate the penalties incurred.
What we have here is an indirect LoS firing mechanic that incurs no penalties to begin with. Adjusting something like the spread, lock on times, etc. to LRMs fired without direct LoS on the target then makes room for systems like this to have a value more in accordance with their weight and such.
Then limit the components to Heavy and Assault mechs. It gives more desirability of mechs that can carry it as well.
What this does is actually help create a balance to certain mechanics (as was originally intended by the game designers) as well as gives some credibility to things like role warfare. The whole idea of role warfare is that certain mechs, builds, and roles are valuable outside of "shoot and destroy".
It also paves the way for much more to be added to information warfare. There's a lot of depth that could be added to small components and even skill modules like this (skill modules are a different animal and go into pilot character customization and I'll touch on that in a different thread) just by simply creating mechanics that work together instead of treating each and every system in the game as an "individual" system.
Some of these systems were NEVER designed to be a "unit buff" type mechanic. They were designed to help an entire team of mechs and/or players giving them a usefulness outside of combat.
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Ialdabaoth, on 13 April 2015 - 12:33 PM, said:
